Smoking ceremony

A smoking ceremony is an ancient custom among some Aboriginal Australians that involves smouldering various native plants to produce smoke. This herbal smoke is believed to have cleansing properties and the ability to ward off bad spirits.[1] In traditional, spiritual culture, smoking ceremonies have been performed following either childbirth or initiation rites involving circumcision.[2] More recently, elements of smoking ceremonies have been incorporated into Welcome to Country performances.

Smoking ceremony during Aboriginal Welcome to Country in Townsville, Queensland

Research has shown that heating the leaves of Eremophila longifolia (commonly known as the Berrigan emu bush), one of the plants favoured by Aboriginal people for smoking purposes, produces a smoke with significant antimicrobial effects. These effects are not observed in the leaves prior to heating. Fumigating a newborn infant, a mother who has just given birth, or a boy who has just been circumcised, would therefore assist in preventing infection.[3]

Aboriginal Australians in Western Australia have long used Santalum spicatum (Australian sandalwood) in smoking ceremonies.[4]

Ceremonial practice
Smoking ceremony performed as part of Welcome to Country at a Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney, 2020.

Smoking ceremonies are practiced at milestone occasions within one's life. At death, they are performed in one's home or living space to drive one's spirit on.[5] This is believed to help a spirit return to country, and depending on one's tradition, a family may vacate the home for a period of time.[5] Some incorporate the burning of the deceased's clothes or other belongings, while others donate the items to others.

The practice itself may involve building a fire within the home, bringing a bucket of coals into the home or carrying smoking branches. Some groups will accompany the smoking with sweeping branches across the location, believed to weaken the connection between the dead and living world.[5]

References
  1. Kelly, Glen (1999). "Karla Wongi Fire Talk: A Nyungar perspective on forest burning". Landscope. 14: 11.
  2. Flood, Josephine (2006). The Original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal People. Allen & Unwin. p. 149. ISBN 9781741159622.
  3. Sadgrove, Nicholas John; Jones, Graham Lloyd; Greatrex, Ben William. "Isolation and characterisation of (−)-genifuranal: The principal antimicrobial component in traditional smoking applications of Eremophila longifolia (Scrophulariaceae) by Australian aboriginal peoples". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 154: 758–766. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.05.003. PMID 24837304.
  4. Prendergast, Joanna; Lewis, Chris (20 November 2021). "Calls to better protect wild sandalwood amid fears of extinction". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  5. McGrath, Pam; Phillips, Emma. "Insights on end-of-life ceremonial practices of Australian Aboriginal peoples". Collegian. 15: 128 – via ScienceDirect.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.